Spring chicken pie
Make this comforting chicken and leek pie ahead of time using a few cheat’s ingredients – it's creamy, rich and filled with the freshness of spring
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 50g unsalted butter
- 200g frozen sliced leeks
- 6skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 150ml white wine or vermouth
- 500ml béchamel or white sauce (we used Chef Parmalat)
- 300g frozen green vegetables (such as broad beans, peas or beans)
- 30g flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 2tbsp plus 2 tsp dijon or wholegrain mustard (or use a mixture)
- 500g puff pastry block
- 1egg, beaten
- steamed greens or carrots, to serve
Instructions
Step 1
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium-high heat and fry the leeks for 10 minutes until soft. Add the chicken and fry for a few minutes until opaque, then sprinkle in the flour. Add the béchamel, green veg, parsley and 2 tbsp of mustard. Season well. Transfer the mixture to a pie dish – the filling should fit in snugly. Leave to cool, then chill for up to two days, if you like.Step 2
Roll out the pastry on a floured worksurface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Whisk the remaining 2 tsp of mustard into the beaten egg and brush a little around the edge of the pie dish. Lay the pastry over the filling and press around the edges to seal. Brush with the rest of the egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt. Chill until ready to bake or up to a day ahead.Step 3
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cut a steam hole into the top of the pie and bake from chilled for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve with steamed greens or carrots.